Lightning-arrester.



l. R. McFARLIN..

LIGHTNING Anassreml: APPLICATION FILED IULY lf. 39|?.

1,27 6,783. Patented Aug. 27',l 191s.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

JIOHN ROBERT MCFARLIN, OF PHILADELFHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC SERVICE SUPPLIES COMPANY, F PHILADELPIIIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA,

Speciiication of Letters llatent, 4 Patented Aug, 27, 1918 Application led July 14, 1917. .Serial'No. 180,495.

To all whom it may conce/m Be it known that I, JonN ROBERT MoFAn- LIN, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphimin the county of Philadel high elliciency and flexible action, as Well as simple, convenient and durable 'construction, .for protecting electrical apparatus from lightningY and other high voltage discharges, by carrying' such discharges to ground, and effectively preventing a follewin flow of line or dynamic current.

A'c' araeteristic feature 4of my device 1s its peculiar means by 4which the. force actin to 'stop the discharge increaseswiththe ow,

l relatively small flow of 'current .being stop ed by the resistance in its path an the heavier flows by' a proportionate blast through a main 'air gap forming an,outlet for a' housing containing serially arranged air gaps together with a resistor.

A desideratum of the construction is ,its elimination of thrust upon the housing by coupling together in interdependent relation the resistor and devices for formin the air gapsand connecting 4them in Inova le relation' to their bearings ing a tubular electrode conncc round Wire, in .combination with a resistor liaving its top movably. engaged b' the clips,

.My improvements, in theirfpreferred form," are comprised 1n an' ,insulating housing having a sealed top, containing a plate electrode provided with clipsconneeted with from the line Wire, and a' sealed bottom"provided with an openin containan' insulating bolt engaged to tce resistor as by a conducting clamp, a seriesofdished `conducting rings, together with `aj; series.of .insulatorspdisposed on said bolt form ai plurality of spark gaps in'series with the clamp and .resistor, and a conducting stem and tenninal screwed on-the bolt so as to -clam ,4 toget er in the desiredrelation to the rethe conductingrings and 4insulators y sister, the stem having ashoulder or head resting on an insulating bearing in the b'ot- "tonil'of' the housing, whereby such stem, to-

of the housing.4

(with thegether with its connections, are sup orted and held in posltion in thehousing with the stem disposl' in the tubularelectrode to In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation 1 pf a lightning arrester embodyin In improveniente;- Fig. '2 is a longitu ina` sc ct1onal view' of the same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3'3 of Fig. 2.

In the form of my improvements ill us-.

trated in the drawings, a o rcelain housing 1adapted to be supporte as on a pole, h'as a'capA 2 cemented -on its top and-a hollow plug 3 cemented in its bottom. i j

A plate electrode 4 is fixed 'by the cap 2 on the body 1 and has a part 5 projecting beyond'the body for connection beneath the cap with the lead 6` to the line wire, the plateelectrode being provided with the clips 7 extending downwardly therefrom so as to form a seat disposed centrally of thetop A resistance rod 8, suitably of 'carborundum, has its top frictionally en ged inthe seat formedby the clips 7 v,an its bottom engaged by a conducting clamp 9 which is ,providedwith a bottom plate 10 andlugs 11,

a screw 12 passing through the lugs to fix the clamp on the rod.. i bolt 13, vsuitably of fiber, passes throu h` the clamp bottoni 410,l which ,'nsuflating engages the] olt head. i'

A dished metal disk or ring f14 is placed with its 'bottom orcentralportion inengagement with the bottom of the clamp and on the bolt, the disk having the downwardly proJecting circular ridge 14T. An insulator 15 is sleeved on the bolt in engagement with the body of the disk '11h-within' its' rid e'14,

.the insulator containing the socket 1 A pa'ssedfjover the bolt, into engagement with the insulator 15,'

dished metaly disk 16.. .i,s

with its circular rib I16dis posed towardthe concentric rib .14 so ash'to form a spark i" gap therewith. A secondl similar disk, 16 is placed-:oh the boltwith its' body in engage ment with the body of the irst disk 16 and its, rib lo'." disposed oppositely thereto. VAn insulator 17 is sleeved on the rod in engage- :nent with the body of 'the second disk '1,15

and within the rib 16 thereon, this insulator having a reduced part 17 which passes through the disks'l and into the socket 15.

Fui-ther disks 16 and insulators 17 are sleeved 'on the bolt, toa terminal disk 1'4", y

" the housing bottom in, concentricallywith the terminal 19 with which it forms an air gap,and a conducting plate 22, formed with the tiibe 21, is ysea-ted in the recess 3 of the bottom 3 and connected with the ground wire 23. is seated in the recess 3 in engagement with the stem 19 to hold the latter centrally in the tube 21.

' As the resistor is movable longitudinally in the seat in which its top is engaged and s the resistor, dished plate electrodes, sepa rating insulators, tie bolt and conducting stem are fixed together and are supported on the bottom spider, the expansion arid contraction of these means through which the electrical discharges pass do not affect the housing. -The parts forming'tlie path for the discharge through the housing are, moreover, more readily lassembled than heretofore and better registration of -the' parts is effected.

When the line is overcharged, a-discharge' to ground takes place through the parts .6, 4, s, 9, 14, 1c, .14", 19, 21v and 23, the resistor and air. gaps between the electrically-separated electrodes serving to stop the flow of line current following a light discharge. In case of a heavy discharge, so that the nor! mal current would follow through the path 'formed by the ionized air between the gaps due to the discharge, the heat `generated by the current passing throughthe 4register and by the arcs across the air gaps between the electrodes, expands the air in the housing and produces a high velocity blast through the tubular electrodewhich destroys the conduct-ing path and prevents the discharge of normal'current, the amount of heatgenerated and the consequent force of the blast increasing with tlievoltage of the discharge and the work to be done iiipreventing the following current Ifiow.

Having described my invention, I' claim: v

- 1. A lightning arrester comprising a hous ing. containing a fluid chamber' having an outlet, a conductor provided -with engaging ineens in said housing, a resistor engaged by :sa-id means-:conducting and insulating devices forming 4one-or more air gaps' in series with saidl resistor, means comprising an insulating bolt whereby said devices are tied to said resistor, a c onducti terminal connectedby s'aid bolt in series with said gap A sectional insulating spider 24l Lerares4 or gaps, and a conductor connected wnli said housing so as to form an air gap with said terminal in said outlet.

2'. A lightning arrester comprising a housing containing a fluid chamber provided with an outlet, a conductor provided with engaging means in'said housing, a resistor engaged by said means in sadhousing, means comprising conductors forming one or more air gaps in said housing, insulating means for tying said conductors to said resistor, a conducting terminal in series with said air vgap or gaps, and a conductor combined with said' terminal toform an air gap in said outlet.

3. In a, lightning arrester, the combination of a housing having a restricted outlet, means lcomprising a conductor disposed in said outlet, a second conductorcoperating with-said conductor first named to form an air gap, a plurality'of electrodes disposed in said housing so as to forni one or more air gaps adapted to produce electric arcs, a resistor, and insulating mechanism whereby ,said second conductor, said lelectrodes an Athrough said outlet, insulated conducting de! vices in said chamber, a resistor, and means comprising an insulating tension member for `fixing together one of said conductors first named, said devices and said resistor. 1 0() 5. In `a lightning arrester, the combinaL tionof an insulating housing containing a chamber having va restricted outlet, condue tors having an' airv gap vbetween them in the path of la' blast through said outlet,dished 105 conducting plates frming one. or more air gaps in said chamber", and insulating means `for-separating said plates and tying them to one of said i conductors.

6. In a lightningarrester, the combina-'11o tion of an insulating housing containing a chamber'ha'ving a restricted outlet, conduc tors having an air gap between them in .the

ath of a blast through said outlet, an insuating rod xed to'one of said conductors, 115

electrodes on said rod', and insulating means on said lrod between said electrodes.

7.'A lightning arrester comprising an insulatin'g housing containing an outlet, .a con-v' ductor seated in the bottoi'n of said housing, l120 i -a conducting stem combined with said conf.

ductor first. named to form an air gap in the path of a blast through said outlet, an insulating'rod connected to-said stem, a 'resistor connected to said' rod,and plate electrodes 12e and insulators on said rod forming `air gaps'.

8. A lighting arrester comprising a ho'using containing a fluid chamber having an outlet at an end thereof, a conductor provided with engaging means fixed atthe oppos-ite end o1"4 said housing, a resistor en gaged by said means so as to be movable relatively thereto by contraction and expansion, conducting and insulatingV devices forming one or more air gaps in series with `said resistor, means comprising an insulating bolt passing through said devices whereby they are fixed to said resistor, a stem providing a conducting terminal connected with said bolt in series with said gap or gaps, said stem having a part thereof connected in bearing relation with a. part ol said housing, and a conductor connected with said housing so as to forman air gap with said terminal in said outlet.

t). A lightning arrester comprising a casing containing a fluid chamber having a re stricted'outlet, in combination with means comprising a resistor disposed 4in said chamber, conductors having an air gap between,

` them in isaid chamber, and `conductors to which current Hows from said resistor and conductors first named and havin Van air gap between them. in the path o f fluid forced through said outlet by expansion of air in said chamber resulting from heat generated by said resistor and an arc between said conductors' first named.

10; A lightning arrester comprising a casing containing a chamber in combination with means comprising an electrode having an opening therein providing an outlet from said chamber, an electrode coperating with said electrode first named to'form an ai'r gap, and .means for expanding air in said chamber so as to cause a blast through said air. gap. i

11. A lightning arrester comprising a' casing containing a chamber having a restricted outlet in combination lwith means comprising aconductor disposed in saidoutlet, a second conductor coperating with'said conductor 4first named to form an air ga and a plurality of electrodes disposed in'said case so as to form a plurality of-air ga s adapted f'or producing electrical arcs, said 'second cond uctor connected within said (fasc with one of said electrodes, whereby air in said chamber is heated. and (.lisrharged across said air gap.

12.1n apparatus of thecharactcr described, a casing containing a chamber hav ing a restricted outlet. in combination with means comprising conductors disposed in said outlet with an annular passage. between them, and means comprising resistance and i conductors Vforming air gaps whereby an electrical. discharge produces heat andan air blast through said passage.

13.* In apparatus ol' the character dcscribed, a casing containing an air chamber in combination with means` comprising a tubular electrode forming a passage through which air is discharged from said chamber,

sa'idconductor first named, a set (if-conf' ductorsy separated by4 insulating means so as to form an' gaps, one of said sets of conduc'- tors being electrically connected with saidy conductor second named, a stem` connected to one of said sets of conductors, said case having internal means for holdingsaid stem and set of Aconductors in place, anda conductor fixed in said casesaid conductor last named havingv a member coperating with sa'id stem to'form an air gap, in 11n-outlet from said chamber.

4 In testimony whereof Ihave' hereunto set my name this 12th day of July, 1917.'

JOHN RoBER'r MCFARLIN. 

